Writing a literacy narrative caused me to search my mind for instances when I became aware of my reading and writing process. This exercise forced me to see myself not only as a child but as a learner who was in the midst of a discovery. School is usually a blur for me with small moments of achievement that stand out.
I wrote about my 4th and 12th grade teachers and their influence on my creative writing and academic writing respectively. It was particularly challenging for me to understand and articulate what these women did to help me. In my first draft, I left Mrs. Chakin, my fourth grade teacher out as I thought to only focus on my first academic achievement. However, my professor pointed out to me the encouragement Mrs. Chakin gave me by reading my work out loud to the class. I did not see her reading my work as encouragement. I was not sure how to see it. This exercise allowed me to view Mrs. Chakin in the role of an educator, to see her purpose in allowing me to write alone and then share my work. I had to think and put myself in her position to understand why she would take me under her wing, so to speak. I’m glad she did because what began as my quest to gain attention from my classmates, turned into a lifelong passion for writing stories. My writing has now developed into a public performance of my stories. This is an outcome I could not have foreseen. Nor did I make the connection until I began to write this reflection.
In my original draft my focus was on Mrs. Spilotro because in her class I experienced writing my first academic essay. And because this literacy narrative is an academic exercise, I thought her participation in my development was more important than Mrs. Chakin. However, to have these two women juxtaposed in my narrative, I realized that both were very important in my development as a student and as a writer. There are students who cannot write creatively and struggle with the task of drawing the reader into their world. Conversely, there are students who struggle academically to form their thoughts on an idea or topic and structure them into a linear, cohesive fashion. Because of these two women, I do not have those issues when writing. In this writing process I have learned something about myself. I have developed a strong creative voice and I have a cultivated and continue to work on perfecting my solid academic voice. Sometimes the two forms cross paths, perhaps in the introduction or closing of an essay, but not often.
Writing a literacy narrative is not easy. Initially I believed it was not a difficult task because I knew I could write. However, this called for a specificity I was not used to detailing. I never had to think about what a teacher has done to foster my literacy nor how it affected me. I had to mentally go back into the classroom and see myself as a child, feeling all the emotions and comments that I could remember. Details were foggy and I’m sure some events are not as accurate as I portrayed but what I do remember is how I felt. By recalling how I felt, it allowed me to then relate the feeling to what it meant to me. I believe if we feel something, it means something and for the first time I had to internalize the actions of my teachers and apply it to myself. I had to take a close look at how their actions have affected me in my adult life. One may not think initially there is a connetion, but the exercise proves otherwise.
Reflection is a strong component of this type of writing. It can prove to be challenging for someone like myself who has not thought about elementary school or high school in over 25 years. Bringing those memories to the forefront took me some time because my memory is not as clear as it would have been if I was half my age. I doubt if younger students would have had this difficulty. But for me remembering the details of what took place was not an easy task. Reflection brings understanding and as a future educator I was able to understand Mrs. Chakin’s and Mrs. Spilotro’s role in my learning. Their actions may have seemed inconsequentially to me as a child and young adult but as a graduate student, I now realized how important they were to my development as a reader and writer.
This exercise is not only important for graduate students but writing a reflective narrative literacy essay can be important to any college student. It is a shared experience that we all had no matter our socio-economic background or country and city of origin. There will be commonalities that students can expound on during class discussions. Sharing and asking information about their narratives can clarify the process. There is a bond made between students when likeness or differences are shared. And because this exercise is about how we learned it is not intimidating to share this information in a classroom setting. We have all had someone who has encouraged or discouraged us in gaining literacy and this would be a great first exercise in a basic writing class to explore.
Writing a literacy narrative has caused me to look back on the positives of my education. Instead of focusing on classmates, I was forced to really investigate my learning experiences, to see what I took for granted. In doing so, I found my love of creative writing was nurtured by the active participation of a teacher who made sure to read my stories out loud. Had I not written this literacy narrative, I would not have made that connection.
Mrs. Spilotro’s instructions to “use 12th grade English” was the catalyst that propelled me to write an academic essay she felt worthy enough to read in class. My essay represented me in a way my name, cultural background and outside interests did not. The confidence it gave me still resonates today. I always want to do a good job on any paper I hand it. Her quiet acknowledgement made it possible for me to see myself as someone who could produce thoughtful and insightful work. Therefore, I am not just a creative writer who writes academically but a writer who can easily navigate between academic and creative writing.
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